Sole press



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Oct. 1, 1929. v K. ENGEL 1,729,769

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Patented Oct. 1, 1929 ATENT OFFICE I KARL ENGEL, F ARLINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS SOLE PRESS Application filed March 2, 1928. Serial No., 258,581.

This invention relates to sole presses of the type which are used where the sole is to be cemented to the bottom of the shoe and the general object of the invention is to provide an improved sole press which is very simple and inexpensive to make but which is effective in operation.

One way of securing the outer sole to the bottom of a shoe which has recently come into vogue more or less is by cementing the sole to the shoe bottom the cement taking the place of stitches, tacks or other fastening devices. This method of making shoes necessitates the use of a sole press for applying pressure to 5 the sole while the cement is drying and as a considerable time is required (one to three hours) for the cement to dry properly any sole press which has a shoe in it will be tied up for that length of time. Hence in a shoe manufacturing plant where a considerable number of shoes are being made it is necessary to have a large number of sole presses since each press is tied up at least two or three hours during the manufacture of each shoe. As stated above one of the objects of my present invention is to provide a satisfactory sole press which is very simple and inexpensive to make so that no great amount of labor and capital is necessary to provide a relatively large number of presses. Another object of the invention is to provide a novel sole press whichis effective in applying a substantially uniform pressure around the peripheral portion of the sole. 1 The sole presses which are used in the cementing of soles to the bottoms of shoes are usually provided with a flexible pad-or sole support on which the sole rests, the flexibility of the pad or sole support permitting it to yield to fit the contour of the sole and providing for applying an even pressure all over the sole.

A sole press embodying my invention 'com prises a supporting frame which is formed with an opening or cavity that conforms in general outline to the shape of the sole of the shoe and is open to the atmosphere, and a shoe-supp0rting member of elastic material in sheet form which spans said opening or cavity and is secured to the frame. In using the sole press the shoe is placed on a last and the outer sole to be attached thereto is then assembled with the shoe, the contacting faces of the shoe and sole having been previously provided with a coating of cement or other adhesive. The assembled shoe and sole is then placed on the elastic shoe-supporting member over the opening or cavity in the frame and pressure is then applied to the last which forces the shoe against the shoe-supporting member and causes said elastic member to stretch and give thereby allowing the lasted shoe to be forced downwardly into the opening or cavity. The elasticity of the shoe-supporting member will cause it to apply a pressure uniformly throughout the sole and because of the similarity of the peripheral contour of the opening and that of the sole there will be a uniform pressure applied tothe peripheral edge of the sole through-out the extent of the latter, which is important in securing a perfect union between the sole and the shoe. Since the opening or cavity is always open to the at mosphere the entire resistance to the down ward pressure on the shoe is taken bythe elastic shoe-supporting member. I

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel features so will be pointedout in the appended claim.

Fig. l is a perspective View of a sole press embodying my invention with a portion broken out to better show the construction;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View through a sole press embodying my invention showing the shoe therein and having a sole applied thereto;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the position of the toe part of the shoe before pressure is applied thereto;

Figs. 4 and 5 are views illustrating modifications of the invention;

In the drawingsl indicates a lasted shoe which has a last 2 therein and 3 indicates the outer sole of the shoe which is cemented thereto.

The sole press by which this sole is cemented to the shoe comprises a frame 5 which has an opening 6 formed therein that corresponds in shape to the shape of the sole 3 of the shoe 1 but is somewhat larger than said sole. This frame is shown as in the form of a board which is supported on rests 17.

The shoe-supporting member is indicated at 4 and it is made of elastic material such as rubber and is in sheet form, said shoe-sup porting member extending across the opening 6 and being fixedly secured to the board 5 at points outside of the opening by suitable fastening devices 7. The frame 5does not have a closed bottom and the space beneath the shoe-supporting member is open to the atmosphere.

In cementing the sole to the shoe the bottom of the shoe and one face of the sole will preferably each be provided with a coating of cement and after the cement-coated sole has been assembled with the shoe the latter is placed on the portion of the elastic sheet 4 that is over the opening 6 and then pressure is applied to the shoe. Owing to the elasticity of the sheet 4 such pressure stretches the sheet somewhat so that the portion thereof which is supporting the shoe sole will be forced into the opening 6 as shown in Fig. 2. Since the elastic sheet is secured at its edges and the central portion is merely suspended it will con form exactly to the shape of the sole so that the pressure will be applied evenly throughout the sole. Because of the fact that the contour of the opening 6 in the supporting frame conforms to the contour of the sole of the shoe,

the pressure which the elastic sheet 4 applies to the peripheral edge of the sole will be uniform throughout. This is an important feature of the invention as it ensures a more perfect union between the sole and the shoe.

It will be noted that the cavity beneath the elastic sheet 4 is open to the atmosphere since the frame 5 is an open-bottomed frame. As a result the resistance to the downward pressure on the shoe is taken by the elastic sheet 4.

Various means may be employed for pressing the shoe against the elastic sheet 4 without departing from the invent-ion.v In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 I have shown a simple mechanism for this purpose which has been found tobe ractical.

At the forward end of the supporting frame 1 I have provided a bail-shaped member 8 the ends of the legs of which are pivoted to the supporting frame as shown at 9. A clamping block 11 is pivotally mounted on the bridge portion 10 of the bail-shaped member 8, said block being pivotally mounted at its upper edge on the bridge member. The pivotal connection between the member 8 and the supporting frame allows the latter to be swung out of the way to permit a shoe to be placed in a position on the shoe press or to be removed therefrom.

When a shoe which is to have its sole cemented thereto is placed in position the clamping block 11 will be swung down until the lower edge 12 thereof engages the top of the shoe, the bail-shaped member being at this time in a forwardly-inclined position shown by dotted lines Fig. 2. After the clamping block 11 has been swung down into engagement with the shoe as shown in Fig. 3 then the bail-shaped member is swung backwardly into a vertical position as shown in Fig. 2 and during this movement the clamping block 11 acts on the shoe and depresses the latter into the opening 6, this being permitted by the stretching or elasticity of the elastic sheet 4. This operation of the clamping member is somewhat similar to that of a toggle lever device which is being straightened.

A somewhat similar clamping member is employed at the back of the shoe to act on the heel portion of the last. This clamping device comprises a bail-shaped member 13, the arms of which are-pivoted to the supporting frame 5 at 14. The bridge portion 15 0f the bail-shaped member 13 has a clamping block eccentrically pivoted thereon. When the shoe has been placed in position the bailshaped member 13 will be swung over the heel of the last and the clamping block 16 turned into the position shown in Fig. 2 thereby applying pressure to the last and cooperating with the clamping block '11 in forcing the shoe downwardly into the opening 6.

This form of sole press is extremely simple in construction and can be manufactured inexpensively. Consequently a shoe factory can equip itself with a large number of these sole presses at a relatively small expense.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated a different embodiment of the invention in which the lasted shoe is pressed against the rubber sheet through the medium of a toggle device. In this embodiment the lasted shoe is pressed against the elastic sheet 4 through the medium of a toggle device comprising the two toggle members 18,19 that are pivoted together at 20. The toggle member 18 is pivoted at its upper end to an abutment 21 as shown at 22 and the toggle member 19 is pivoted at its lower end to a block 23 as shown at 24. This block 23 is of a shape to engage the lasted shoe.

In using this device the lasted shoe 1 is placed on the elastic sheet 4 and the block 23 ispositioned properly relative to the shoe the toggle at this time being broken. The toggle is then straightened, by which operation the shoe is forced downwardly against the yielding pad because of the fact that the upper end of the toggle is engaged by the stationary abutment. The straightening of the toggle will hold the shoe under pressure until the cement is dry at which time the toggle may be broken to permit the shoe to be removed.

Any suitable stationary member may be used for the abutment 21. It will be possible to place the boards or frames 5 on a bench beneath a ceiling and to use the ceiling for the abutment in which case the ceiling would have a plurality of the toggle joints hinged thereto. Or this abutment may be connected to the frame 5 by suitable connecting members 25 so that the abutment 21 and the frame 5 make a unitary structure.

In making shoes in accordance with this invention an assembled shoe and sole with the contacting surfaces of the shoe and sole properly cemented will be placed in the press as shown in Figs. 2 and 4 and if the press is a portable one, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, it may be laid aside for the cement to dry.

Each workman will have a sufficient number of these sole presses to last him for a period of time necessary for the cement to dry and in carrying on his work he will place an assembled shoe and sole in each one of the various sole presses, laying each press aside when the shoe has been clamped therein in order that the cement may dry. After a suitable length of time and when each shoe is dry it is removed from the sole press and then the latter can be used over again for the manufacture of another shoe. My invention, therefore, makes it possible to equip a factory with the requisite number of sole presses at a relatively small expense.

I find that an advantage which results from this construction wherein when pressure is applied to the shoe the elastic sheet 4: is stretched through the opening of the board 5, is that the stretching of the sheet will apply full as great a pressure to the periphery of the sole as to the other parts thereof and will thus ensure a firm union of the peripheral portion of the sole to the shoe. Moreover such firm union is made more certain by'the fact that the opening 6 in the frame conforms in shape to that of the sole of the shoe 'although it is somewhat larger than said sole. The advantage resulting from this is that when the shoe is forced down through the opening 6 there will be approximately a uniform space existing between the periphery of the shoe and the wall of the opening throughout the extent'of the sole, and hence all portions of the periphery of the sole will be subjected to the same pressure.

Another feature of the invention is that since the cavity or space beneath the elastic sheet 4 is open to the atmosphere, said elastic sheet constitutes the sole resistance to the pressure applied to the last and hence said sheet furnishes the entire pressure which is applied to the sole.

I claim:

A sole press comprising a supporting frame having an opening of a shape corresponding to the shape of the sole of the shoe to be soled but somewhat larger than said sole, a shoesupporting member of elastic material in sheet form extending across said opening and secured to the frame, whereby when a shoe to be soled is placed on the portion of the elastic sheet over said opening and pressure is applied to the shoe the elastic sheet will stretch thereby allowing the shoe to be forced down into said opening, and means to hold the shoe thus pressed against the elastic sheet and occupying a position within the opening, the similarity of the contour of the opening and the sole of the shoe causing a uniform pressure to be applied to the periphery of the sole throughout its extent, the space within the frame beneath the elastic sheet being open to the atmosphere, and said elastic sheet providing the entire resistance to the downward pressure on the shoe.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

KARL ENGEL. 

